Pivotal Moments (In Time #1) (4 page)

“I’m confused. What exactly are you trying to tell me?” I was cranky, sore, and tired. Also a little offended.

Connor spoke up. “He’s saying, Ash, that Zver doesn’t like anyone except him.” He laughed, slapping a hand on Teagan’s shoulder as he went back to his room. “I wonder what that says about her, dude?” Still laughing, he went into his room and shut the door.

Teagan stared at the closed entrance for a moment before turning to observe Zver. A myriad of emotions ran across his face, and to be honest, the guy’s reaction was freaking me out a little. I took a step back toward my bedroom. The movement caught his notice, and he smiled…probably at the look on my face. That smile could make me forget my name it was so gorgeous.

“Relax, Aislinn. It’s a good thing Zver likes you. It means he’ll protect you without being told.” His eyes searched mine before he looked away and tugged his ear lobe, then cleared his throat. “He never likes anyone enough to follow them around. That’s why your brother and I are surprised.” He smiled that Teagan-exclusive smile, and I swear my knees went weak. “Dogs know the good ones from the bad.”

With that, he started toward the spare bedroom. He paused at the door and looked at Zver, who was still sitting where he had been told to stay. “Zver! Komne!” The dog stood, shook himself, and strolled over to his owner, pausing first to snuffle my hand before continuing through the door held open for him. Once he was in all the way, Teagan looked back over at me and gave me a wink.

“Night, Aislinn. Sweet dreams.” He grinned and closed the door.

My cheeks were on fire. Oh, God, please not the little sister zone!

Chapter 4

I was drowning.

It had started right after we had been notified of Dad’s death nearly eleven years ago. Sometimes it came in hard, hitting me like a tsunami, and I hated it with a passion. Other times it began with a dull throb between my shoulder blades, like someone was staring at my back, a predator waiting for a moment of weakness. This morning it was the latter. Desperate to escape, I clawed my way to consciousness.

Waking up with a jerk, I groaned and stretched, breathing deeply to calm my racing heart. I often wondered if this was what an anxiety attack felt like—the pounding heart, breathlessness, and a cold sweat. I’d heard they sometimes required a trip to emergency room. It would take an actual trip to the ER to get out of this damn excursion into hell, better known as Lake Wimico. I was so not ready for this.

It had taken hours to fall asleep the night before. All I could do was toss and turn, agonizing over every word and gesture exchanged between me and Teagan. Everything I had said and done was cause for embarrassment, and I groaned again, pulling the covers up over my head. I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t face him today.

I was rolling over to bury my head in the pillow when I registered the sound of breathing. Inside my room. Barely breathing, I waited. There it was again. My heart skipped a beat, then picked up double-time.

Someone was watching me.

I lay under the covers, paralyzed. The worst part was, I’d been rolling all over my bed, and now whoever it was knew I was awake. I really had only one choice—to get the hell out of my room.

The bed dipped slightly, as if someone were leaning on it, then came a barely audible chuckle. My muscles tensed. Whatever it was, I couldn’t fight it. I had to get out. And I needed to make sure Mom was okay.

The bed dipped down even more. I could feel someone’s body heat, and in the low light, I could just make out the figure, leaning closer to me. Then a low, hoarse whisper—“Aislinn?”

That’s it, all bets were off. I screamed. Throwing myself off the side of the bed, I executed a combat roll to the floor. Gasping for breath, I scrambled to my feet and flew to the closed door. Why wouldn’t the damn doorknob turn? I clawed at the mechanism until muscle memory kicked in, and I yanked the door open.

I sprinted out, jamming my pinky toe in the door jamb, and headed for the stairs, stumbling in pain. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I once again left my mother behind—I’d deal with the guilt later. I was about to launch myself down the stairs to make my escape when another noise registered.

Laughter?

I paused, foot poised to take the first step, and listened. Yes, that was definitely someone laughing. At me. What the…?

I turned and did a hobbling tiptoe back to my bedroom, only to shriek when the door was flung open. Penny. I silenced and narrowed my eyes at her as she giggled like a loon.

“You’re such a bitch,” I groused, shoving her out of my way. I stomped back to my bed, ignoring the pain.

She followed me, grinning. “That was freaking awesome!” She wiped away the hysterical tears and added, “God, Ash, I haven’t got you like that in years.”

I glared at her. “So glad I could be of amusement.” I looked at the clock and narrowed my eyes. “What the hell, Pen? It’s not even seven yet,” I grumbled.

She shrugged. “Yeesh, I know. Thought I’d shake it up a bit.” She gestured to my nightstand. “I knew you’d set that thing for sure. Had to change my M.O. around.”

My irritation amped up to border anger when she winked at me. Like she expected a laugh. I growled in displeasure, but she just shrugged again, clearly not respecting my current level of annoyance. My jaw cracked with a sudden unexpected yawn, and I decided it was too early to really care.

With that thought, I pulled back my blankets and flopped into the cushy softness. I was getting my extra hour. Penny waited until I was nice and comfortable to snatch the covers away. When I opened my eyes to glare at her, Penny was standing at the front of the bed, a look of triumph on her face.

“What the hell is your issue today?” I whined. It was so not the time for this.

Penny smirked. “You wanted me, you got me.” She pointed to the two bags sitting next to my desk. “We have work to do. Get up!”

Pounding on the door redirected my exasperation. “What the hell is going on in here?” Mom demanded as she opened the door. Her face was scrunched with irritation, and seeing Penny, she sighed, shaking her head. “Never mind. Just keep the volume down.”

Penny gave a cheery grin and waved. “Morning, Mrs. M!”

Mom waved her off and shut the door, mumbling something about melodramatic teenagers.

I groaned. “Who the hell even let you in?” I was going to kill whoever it was.

“Your mom. She left a key for me,” Penny said in blasé tone. That was it. Connor and I were about to become orphans; the woman must die. She was evil. Penny smacked my foot. “Up! Out! Out of bed!”

I scowled. She could be a bossy little brat when she had her mind set on something. Sighing in defeat, I said, “What am I doing?”

“You’re gonna get up and take a shower. You’re gonna scrub yourself, shave, and moisturize. Then you’re gonna come out here, and you’re going to put on the swimsuit I brought for you.” She paused, pointed at me, and smirked. “Then we’re gonna go to the lake and knock your Teagan out so he won’t know what hit him.”

“It doesn’t matter,” I muttered.

Penny narrowed her eyes. “Why?”

“Because I’ve been little sister zoned!”

Penny cocked an eyebrow. “Come again?”

“It’s obvious,” I said, throwing a hand in the air. “Connor has no problem with me being around him. And you know how he is.”

Penny nodded reluctantly.

“Not only that, but Teagan helped the dumbass talk me out of my room when I locked myself in. He made sure to tell me about his two younger sisters…” I sighed heavily, the back of my nose burning. “His tone and implications were clear. Besides, why would he be interested in me? He doesn’t need my help with his homework, and I’m just a nerd with nothing else to offer!” I swallowed back tears. Having my hopes build up only to get them torn to pieces was getting old, quick.

Penny stared at me, jaw hanging open. She was silent for several moments before shaking her head, closing her mouth, and taking a deep breath. I knew what this meant; I was about to get a Penelope Anne Sutters talk. Probably Lecture #4—Aislinn needs some friggin’ self-esteem.

Letting out a soft exhale, she walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. After gently tucking a few stray pieces of hair behind my ear, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around me. Then she sat back and grabbed one of my hands, giving it a squeeze. “Why did you ever let her get to you?”

I frowned. “Who?”

“That bitch. Tracey.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I retorted. She’d hit a little too close to home; I’d never told anyone how many of Tracey’s words had hit deep and left scars.

Penny snorted and frowned. “That’s a damn lie, Ash. You were never this insecure until last year when you started tutoring Brody in Civics.” She paused, thinking. “Yeah, it was right after you started working with him. Not a coincidence that she started screwing with you.”

I shrugged. I didn’t care why Tracey was determined to destroy me, just that she was.

Penny got up and paced across her room. “I bet Brody either hinted or outright said something about liking you. He had a thing for you in tenth grade.”

At that I rolled my eyes. I loved this girl to death, but she was a hopeless romantic. There was nothing about me that could possibly threaten Tracey.

“Penny, he has Tracey. I can’t compete with that!”

She stopped pacing and stared at me. “Ash, how tall am I?”

“You said you’re five-six.”

She nodded. “You’re always saying how pretty you think I am. Do you know what size I am?”

I shook my head.

“I’m a 14.”

I choked. “Bullshit!” There was no way. I continued to shake my head as she nodded. “Penny, I’m a size 14. I look nothing like you. I’m overweight and it shows.”

She groaned. “Girl, you’re a friggin’ knockout. You’re thick, not fat, with Marilyn Monroe-type curves—the kind bitches like Tracey would die for and boys like Brody and Teagan want. Males with sense want meat, not bones like she has. Hell, I think the reason she’s so bitchy is because she’s starving.” She gestured to the mirror. “Look at yourself. Tell me what you see.”

With strong reservations, I got up and walked to my mirror. My reflection stared back at me. I was 5’3” and a size 14—according to Penny, that made me thick rather than overweight. They sounded suspiciously alike. My thighs were huge, and I had wide hips. My breasts were decent, I guess. I at least filled out a swimsuit top. I had pale skin, hazel eyes that hinted at green, and brown hair. I relayed this to Penny—who smirked.

“You’re beautiful. You have been since freshman year. You have that gorgeous, fair Irish skin, deep auburn brown hair, and the most awesome green-hazel eyes. And, you are not fat. I’ve told you so many times before—the correct term is thick. Not to mention you’ve got a chest on you that I would give my friggin’ right arm to have! You think it’s fat because of jealous hoes tearin’ you down.” Penny rolled her eyes. “Ash, guys want someone they can grab hold of and not worry they’re going to break a bone!”

I blinked at her. She really thought that. Not that I totally believed it, but it eased some of my tension. I smiled and gave her a hug. “That’s why you’re my best friend. You always make me feel better.”

Squeezing hard enough to make me grunt, Penny laughed. “I’m only telling you the truth.” Letting me go, she pointed to the bathroom that I shared with the extra guest room. “Now go. Get ready! I’m going to leave the swimsuit and outfit here on the bed for you. I’ll be downstairs with your mom.”

I still needed to kill Mom. What she was thinking, letting Penny into this house before seven, I’d never know.

I grumbled all the way to the shower.

***

I stood at the edge of my bed, staring at the two-piece swimsuit in all its skimpy glory. There was no way I was wearing that thing. It had a top that looked like lingerie with a frilly ruffle along the band, and the bottoms had a matching ruffle along the waist. It was a deep cranberry-red, and I couldn’t lie, it was quite pretty. It was the amount of skin that would be showing that was sending me into an anxiety attack. I normally swam in shorts and a t-shirt!

I took a deep breath. I wouldn’t be getting out of the house without this suit on. Outright refusing was on my mind, but tempting as that sounded, I didn’t want to deal with Connor and Penny. One was bad enough; both would be unbearable. I might be able to get away with leaving my shirt on, if I was sneaky and pretended to be cold. I picked up the scrap of fabric that was supposed to be a top and let out a sigh. With a shrug, I slipped off my robe and started getting dressed. At least the jean shorts, orange top, and black sandals were an outfit I was comfortable in. I grabbed my bag, towel, sunscreen, and sunglasses, then left my room. I was still limping slightly from my stubbed toe, and I’d stopped to glare at the offending door jamb when Teagan and Connor tromped up the stairs in shorts and sleeveless t-shirts, sweaty from their morning run.

My pride never stood a chance. Teagan was a Greek god gracing Earth with his presence. His hair stood up in messy spikes from where he had pushed it back while running. His shirt clung wetly to his chest and abs, and oh, my God, his thighs were every bit as muscular as I had imagined. I knew I was blatantly obvious, but as I stared at that tattoo again, I couldn’t make myself care.

Connor cleared his throat, yanking me out of my trance. “You done, Ash?” he said, smirking.

I blushed furiously. It was bad enough I had gotten caught in my ogle-fest. Did he really have to call attention to it? I was about to respond, but Teagan beat me to it.

“Dude! What the hell, man?” The look on his face made me do a double-take. He was upset for me. “Leave her alone!”

Connor hated to be reprimanded. Certainly not in front of me, much less by a friend. It was time to get the hell out of Dodge; the hallway was about to become ground zero. I looked up and saw Connor giving Teagan a murderous glare while Teagan’s face looked like it had been carved from stone.

“Um…” I started easing by both of them. “I’m just going…” I blanched when Connor swung his gaze to me, but warmed when Teagan gave me a quick wink. “I’ll be in the kitchen.” I jerked my thumb in the direction of the stairs and then hauled ass to sanctuary.

Mom and Pen were talking when I rushed through the doorway. The conversation stopped, of course, but I was too wigged out to care. Maybe Connor and Teagan would get into a fight, and the trip would be called off? No, Connor would go regardless. I was still stuck.

“What’s going on up there, Ash?” Mom asked as she finished up a pan of eggs.

I shrugged, cringing at the thought of eating eggs. Maybe toast and some juice…